Published on Tuesday, 24 May 2022 at 9:00:00 AM
The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder recently welcomed its first trainees as part of its Aboriginal Traineeship and Mentoring program.
The program provides employment and career pathways for young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as ongoing mentorship during their employment with the City.
The City partnered with the Australian Aboriginal Mining Academy (AAMA) in the development and ongoing delivery of the program, which is funded as part of State Government’s $8 million contribution towards the Kal City Centre project.
Two trainees have commenced the program so far, with Krystal Stokes joining the Occupational Health and Safety team and Harrison Garwood commencing as a Trainee Business Support Officer.
Krystal hopes the Program will teach her everything she needs to know about OHS and keeping people safe.
“I want to get all the training I can get so that I know what to do on my own, and to help me pass future certifications.”
“I hope to make my family proud” she said.
Having previous experience working for the federal government, Harrison applied for the program with the goal of progressing his career and to enhance his government experience in a local setting.
“I have lived in Kal my whole life, so I wanted to see how our local government operates and gain experience in this field,” he said.
In addition to providing on-the-job experience, the program seeks to improve the engagement and retention of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees by focussing on mentoring. This is possible through building strong working relationships between management and trainees and providing a range of support avenues across the organisation and community.
Mayor John Bowler said the City was pleased to work with local agencies in establishing this important program, which will increase the City’s Aboriginal workforce.
“We look forward to working with the Aboriginal Trainee Mentors from the AAMA, who bring a wealth of knowledge and are equipped to help foster successful career pathways for our trainees.”
“We wish our trainees much success as they embark on this exciting new challenge, and we look forward to supporting them throughout their employment journey,” he said.
The Traineeship and Mentoring program is part of the City’s Aboriginal Economic Development Strategy for the Kalgoorlie City Centre Project.
The City continues to work with project partners, the State Government and Goldfields-Esperance Development Commission (GEDC) on future project initiatives.
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